by anna (and david) Catch-ups in London Having only spent a fleeting weekend in London for Ascot in June, we wanted to spend a bit more time there catching up with some friends. It was great to be able to stay with Yvette and Dom in their new apartment and do just that. While Spain had cooled down a lot before we left, the London weather was still a bit of a shock. There was snow on the ground from the night before when we arrived and it was cold and rainy for a lot of the time we were there. [View Full Entry]

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by anna and david It was a grand farewell to Spain. A tour befitting our time there - revisiting some of our favourite places, and sharing some of them with friends and family. We flew back into Barcelona where we spent a few days catching up on some admin and spending some time around and about the back alleys, having drinks with Chris and Carmen and dinner with Pete and Nuria and a couple of their friends. Weekend in Premia de Dalt - 30th Birthday Celebration #1 We then headed to Premia de Dalt (just north / east of Barcelona) to [View Full Entry]

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by anna (and david) You can never go to Paris too many times, especially if you have good friends to see there. Luckily, we do. Leon and Caro, Dave and Aurelie. This time it was extra special as we were in Paris in time to celebrate Leon's 30th birthday with him and Caro. We caught up with Leon and Bish on the Friday night over a traditional french meal. Thankfully, this was not too big a night, as we got up at 6am the next morning to watch Geelong (v Hawthorn) contest the AFL grand final in a dodgy Aussie bar, [View Full Entry]

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by anna and david I really don't know what to say here. What turned out to be the good part of a week with Sue and Miguel in Switzerland was so sensational, I am glad I have photos to prove it wasn't a dream. Our local guides showed us all the major parts of the country, demonstrated life in a nation where people speak multiple languages (they slipped from speaking French between themselves to English to us, to German in Zurich, to Italian in Tocino), ironically we learnt a few things about spanish wine, and, I, finally, learnt how to play [View Full Entry]

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by anna (and david) It was great to arrive back in Barcelona. The city screams holiday fun and that's what we were there for. We jumped straight in, although there was a twist this time, as part of our second day was occupied with helping the Reddy-Hewston clan get from the airport to their apartment. Travelling with two under two changes the dynamic somewhat (we managed to reward ourselves with some tapas and welcome drinks and a very tasty panda). Still, not that much, a long lunch at Escriba, followed by a swim, and drinks on the beach until well after [View Full Entry]

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by anna and david Portugal, the slither of land blocked from the rest of Europe by Spain, having held out against Spanish dominance many times, is a land as diverse as any I have come across, amazing for a nation traversable within a week! We got the fast train to Seville and hired a car there to spend 12 days making our way through Portugal from south to north, finishing back in Spain in Galicia. First stop was a relaxing weekend in Carvoeiro, in the Algarve, with Phil and Graham, a couple of ex-LEK colleagues, Phil's sister and boyfriend, Jo and [View Full Entry]

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by anna Thankfully we are going back, so we didn't have to really say goodbye, as it was sad enough packing up our apartment and leaving our life in Madrid as semi-residents. We really loved the few months we spent there, and our last few weeks were no exception as I finished classes, we had a visit from Dave and Aurelie, friends from L.E.K., and said hasta luego to the team at the gym and our local cafe bar. In this entry we have included some photos of our apartment, local market where we shopped for fruit and veg and meat, [View Full Entry]

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by anna (and david) We've just had a little jaunt north. For the 4th public holiday since we've been in Spain (they LOVE them here!) we used the opportunity to head over to Ireland to visit Kev, Mary, Ben and George. Kev and Mary were very organised with Mary's mum ready to baby sit, and took us out for drinks at the swanky Shelbourne Hotel before heading to a great Thai restaurant - soooo good to have some spicy asian after what seems like ages!!! We were blessed with gorgeous weather for the rest of the weekend which we spent fairly [View Full Entry]

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by anna (and david) July 7th-24th After the excitement of the first two weeks back in Madrid, things have calmed down somewhat, nevertheless, we've kept ourselves busy. I have been back at 'school' for five weeks now, David has been enjoying life "as free as a bird", and we've both been loving life in Madrid - la vida espana. The week before last, David spent a couple of days in London for work (the most stressful part was having to get a hair cut for the first time since leaving - note the new clean cut look), during which I went [View Full Entry]

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by anna (and david) June 23rd - July 6th The first two weeks back in Madrid were crazy. We were fortunate enough to return at a great time for Spain and Madrid with the end of the Euro Cup, and in our own barrio, the gay pride festival. Our first weekend back we were introduced to the local pool here in Madrid. Really impressive. Another thing we could learn from Spain to apply in Aus. The pool is a couple of metro stops away from us, so is within easy reach, and is brilliantly designed with two adult and one kiddie [View Full Entry]

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